After being on the edge for the past couple of days, there were signs of flood threat easing in Alappuzha district on Tuesday.
Though several houses, shops and roads had remained inundated, floodwaters started receding, albeit slowly, at Neerattupuram, Thalavady, Kidangara among other places in Upper Kuttanad. Local residents said there was a decrease in flow of water from the eastern side.
Slight increase
Meanwhile, water level, however, recorded a slight increase in Kainakary, Mankombu, Nedumudy, Kavalam and Pulinkunnu in Kuttanad. Parts of the Alappuzha- Changanassery (AC) road and the Ambalappuzha-Thiruvalla road remained submerged.
Though District Collector A. Alexander issued a mandatory emergency evacuation order for people in Kuttanad on Monday night, several decided to stay put. Those willing to move were shifted to relief camps.
Rain forecast
Officials said the district, however, remained on high alert in view of the opening of the shutters of the Kakki and Pampa dams in Pathanamthitta and a forecast of heavy downpour in the coming days.
"The water from the Kakki dam has reached Chengannur and Kuttanad. But, the impact was minimal. Two gates of the Pampa dam have been opened and the water is expected to reach Chengannur in the early hours of Wednesday and later in Kuttanad. We are not expecting any alarming rise in the water level. However, things would change if heavy rain batters the neighbouring districts as it would result in an increase in flow of floodwaters from the eastern side. There is also a possibility of raising the shutters of the dams further. The administration remains prepared to face any exigency," said an official.
Chengannur, which was on its toes following the opening of the sluice gates of the Kakki dam, heaved a sigh of relief on Tuesday. The floodwaters have begun to retreat from several places in the region. While the water level in the Pampa river decreased, the Achencoil river remained swollen.
Spillway opened
The Irrigation Department has opened 39 of the 40 shutters of the Thottappally spillway. As a result, the flow of floodwaters into the sea has increased. Aquatic plants and other waste that blocked the flow of water through the spillway were removed.
Heavy downpours and floodwaters have destroyed paddy in a number of fields in Alappuzha district, especially in Kuttanad, while several fields with ready-to-harvest crops remain inundated.
Yellow alert
The weather agency has declared a yellow alert for moderate rain in the district on Wednesday.
As of Tuesday evening, as many as 7,126 people belonging to 2,001 families took shelter at 100 relief camps in the district.